Being one of the most common skin disorders, Acne is very common in Ireland in both males and females. You can develop it at any stage in your life, even as late as your 40’s.
Typical Treatment Options for Acne
Your recommended treatment plan will depend on how severe your acne is. Here is a list of some treatments that are available:
- Topical treatment using gel or cream applied to the skin such as benzoyl peroxide.
- Salicylic acid wash is an exfoliant ingredient applied to the skin which will remove redness and inflammation as it opens pores. It is also a very effective pain reliever.
- Chemical Peels
- Oral Medication – Antibiotics – this is Generally the first choice as a treatment - Tetracycline such as minocycline.
- Oral Contraceptives
- Isotretinoin - Isotretinoin (brand name Roaccutane) belongs to a group of drugs called retinoids, which are closely related to vitamin A. It works in a variety of ways, targeting different factors that cause acne including the production of sebum (an oily substance produced by the skin) and the production of keratin (outer scales of skin) that block the pores of the hair follicle.
Acne Treatment from a Functional Medicine Perspective
Traditionally the treatment for acne is topical and possibly combined with oral antibiotics. A lot of acne conditions begin in the gut, sometimes triggered by insulin and or inflammation. Antibiotics can cause a dysbiosis in our gut and in the skin as it negatively impacts the natural microbiome environment on our skin and that that lives in the gut.
Follicular hyper keratosis- where the cells build up causing a blockage. High levels of insulin cause a series of changes in the skin.
PCOS - a condition resulting from insulin resistance- results in acne - along with a myriad of other conditions.
Food changes your microbiome. Sugar negatively influences our Microbiome and in turn our immune system.
Sugars, processed foods, etc need to be removed.
The antibiotic can improve the skin temporarily, very often once you come off, the acne comes back . Due to the shift in the microbiome, the first line of defence on the skin and gut is knocked off - can cause a dysbiosis .
It’s worth reducing dairy as it is full of hormones, which can trigger acne.
Functional medicine addresses acne differently by first identifying gut issues to see if there is possibility an increased gut permeability which can cause inflammation and increased susceptibility to skin issues.
If we take away some food types - we need to add in some supporting nutrients.
Zinc and vitamin A are essential for healthy functioning skin - it’s important to work with a practitioner to ensure that you are taking the appropriate amounts yet not too much. For example, vitamin A is fat soluble so it’s important to know the right combination to avoid impacting other nutrients.
Vitamin A helps with cell turnover to prevent a build up of dead cells . Zinc helps with healing.
Sugar, starch, gluten dairy are worth looking at.
It takes at least 6 weeks to see the real benefits of new treatments and new dietary changes as it takes time for the skin to turn over.
For some the trigger can be hormones, again it’s worth taking away inflammatory driven ingredients.
Did you know that BBA in plastic can be a trigger to oestrogen. BBA’s are environmental toxins, they mimic hormones in the body . These are toxic to humans.
These bind to the oestrogen receptors in the body, and can in turn can cause insulin resistance, obesity and acne .
You get this from cheap plastic bottles, the large plastic bottles of water. All of your receipts that you get have a plastic component.
These toxic chemicals cause oxidative stress inside the body due to an elevated toxic load.
Functional medicine can look to check for this and seek to correct it.
- Cruciferous vegetables help the body to detox.
- NAC is good to support the body.
- Sulphur rich foods like onions help the body make glutinous the master.
- Exercise/ sweating / sauna helps to detox the body.
